Local elementary students are spreading the message that “it’s cool to be kind” and raising money for animals in need with a pet portrait fundraiser.
The Kindness Club at Mountain View Elementary School started this year for its 5th graders to help teach empathy and inspire them to be good people as they head to middle school.
“We talk about things we can do to promote kindness at our school, and the kids were really excited to do something involved with our community,” art teacher and club organizer Misti Foster said.
Foster explained that ambassadors for the club meet on Tuesdays during lunch. She selected Kindness Club ambassadors from each homeroom, who showed kindness and leadership skills, to help influence their peers to do the right thing.
Nancy Perez, a club ambassador, said “My favorite part about [the club] is how we can make our school better, every person nicer and how we can help fix them.”
While the club organized the fundraiser, all 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students have been turning people’s furry friends into custom pet portraits using colored pencils.
“[The pets are] all very cute, and I like to see the other animals and what people have drawn,” Ava Williamson, a club ambassador, mentioned about the fundraiser.
They are asking for a $10 donation for each portrait. More than $1,500 has been raised for the Gilmer County Animal Shelter since they started the project in mid-January. More donations are expected as people continue wanting their pet portrait drawn.
The shelter will use the money to help fund a Snippet Bus to spay and neuter animals. Clyde Wolfe-Borders, a volunteer at the shelter, has been working with the Kindness Club on this project and was at last Tuesday’s meeting to pass out certificates of appreciation.
“With the money you raised, we’re able to cover the cost for those animals to get fixed so they can be healthy and live a long life,” Wolfe-Borders voiced toward the Kindness Club. “You all have done a great job supporting the community that you live in. We want to thank you from the animal shelter for all your hard work.”
The young artists are continuing to work on the portraits, where recipients can either get them as a physical print or digital copy. They have had about 130 photo submissions of people’s pets that they take home to draw.
“It’s an extra opportunity for them to create art, and they love giving back to the community,” Foster added. “It’s showing them that their art is worth something, that it’s meaningful, and I love that part of it too.”
One of the Kindness Club’s goals with this service project, according to the flyer, is to help teach students the value of creativity and giving back.
When asked why she hopes to work on projects like this moving forward, club ambassador Faith Dotson said, “It helps others that need help, and it helps us to be a better person in the future.”
Recipients of the pet portraits have expressed to Foster how much they’ve loved seeing the artwork from the kids and how talented they are. One person said it was extra special, because they lost their pet last spring. Another said they are framing the portrait for their office.
“It’s been very heartwarming all around because it shows me that people love their pets, but people also love children’s art, and children love animals,” Foster noted. “When they get a picture of someone’s pet, they get attached and want to know the animal’s name, and it’s just very cute to see that.”
At the meeting, the club ambassadors were all wearing yellow T-shirts, designed by a student, that read “be kind, it’s cool to be kind.”
Now, Foster is working with the ambassadors to come up with a creative solution to buy the shirts for more 5th graders, potentially involving another service project.
Because there’s been such a high demand for pet portraits, students at Mountain View will continue accepting requests.
If you would like a portrait and to donate to the Gilmer County Animal Shelter, you can submit a photo of your pet to kindnessclubportraits@gmail.com.